At the age of 41, and having never backpacked more than thirty miles in her life, Nancy Shepherd sets off to hike the 2,168 miles of the Appalachian Trail. “My Own Hike” follows along as she grows from an inexperienced hiker into a confident long-distance backpacker and gains the self-assurance to go beyond the perceived “rules” of the trail and end the hike on her own terms.

Having hiked the Appalachian Trail in 2001, Nancy Shepherd was no stranger to long-distance backpacking. Yet, when she set out to hike the International Appalachian Trail in 2003, she had a backpack full of concerns, from questions about the terrain i ...